


Camille Belcourt's Imprisonment Appeal

by Aria_Lerendeair



Series: Alec Lightwood Birthday Bash 2019 [15]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: BAMF Alec Lightwood, Camille is Horrible, Downworlder Rights, Happy Immortal Husbands, Immortal Husbands, Inquistor Alec Lightwood, M/M, Politically Savvy Alec Lightwood, Protective Alec Lightwood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2020-01-30
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:00:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21648688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aria_Lerendeair/pseuds/Aria_Lerendeair
Summary: As part of a new program, the Clave is allowing the Downworlders in the Gard to appeal their imprisonment with Inquisitor Lightwood-Bane reviewing and submitting approvals or denials on those claims.Alec is surprised to find that Camille Belcourt is the next name on his list.Second Chapter Now Posted!
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood, past Magnus Bane/Camille Belcourt - Relationship
Series: Alec Lightwood Birthday Bash 2019 [15]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1560298
Comments: 87
Kudos: 785
Collections: Favorite Malec Stories





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Anonymous Prompted: Prompt: Inquisitor Alexander Lightwood-Bane is called to review the crimes of some Downworlders to ensure no one is being unfairly accused, and one of the prisoners he has to interrogate is Camille. And of course she will mention Magnus to piss Alec off, but we stan a protective!husband who won't let anyone talk trash about Magnus, especially if it's one of his toxic ex-lovers.
> 
> HELL YES WE DO.

Alec took a second to realize that he recognized the name that was the next on his list and then took another to take a deep breath. Camille Belcourt had appealed her imprisonment. He fought down the urge to chuckle. She likely never would have attempted an appeal if she had known that he was going to be reviewing them. But then again, knowing her, maybe she would. Alec skimmed through her file briefly and knew that she had no case and that he’d be denying the appeal, but he had promised to speak with everyone to hear their piece, if nothing else. 

  
He gestured to the guards at the door and gave them a nod. “Let her in,” he ordered. 

  
Camille glided into the room, her heels clicking on the metal floor as she daintily sat in the seat across from him. 

  
Alec raised an eyebrow and studied her. She didn’t look any different from the last time he had seen her, when she had attempted to make him jealous by kissing Magnus. A quick glance down at his wedding ring made him smile and he met her eyes when she looked up. 

  
“Inquisitor Lightwood,” she said, her tone frosty. 

  
Alec couldn’t help the curl of pleasure in his gut when he got the opportunity to correct her. “Lightwood-Bane, actually. But that’s all right, I doubt the news reached you down here.“ 

  
"Excuse me,” Camille said, staring at him. “Lightwood…. _Bane_?" 

  
Alec nodded and glanced down meaningfully at the ring he was wearing. Camille’s eyes on him were no longer frost, but furious daggers and he couldn’t help smiling faintly. 

  
"He _married_ you?” Camille asked, incredulous. “You, a mortal?" 

  
Alec didn’t bother offering up the information that he wasn’t nearly as mortal as she thought these days, but that was better left for another day, and perhaps another century. "My marriage is not the subject of why we are here today. You have requested that your sentence be appealed, or thrown out all-together, and I am unsure on what grounds you think the Clave-”

  
“Your husband,” Camille growled, her eyes sparking in anger. “Decided to wrongfully imprison me." 

  
Alec raised both of his eyebrows. "Wrongfully? An interesting choice of words considering that your list of crimes against mundanes and the Clave numbers in the hundreds. That’s also not including the crimes that your fledglings committed under your command, which, if pressed, I am sure could also be attributed to you if you wanted to push me,” he said, keeping his tone light as he looked down at her file again. 

  
“And does your husband not have a similar list?” Camille shot back. “I seem to recall-”

  
“Magnus Lightwood-Bane’s record has been wiped clean after his service to Alicante during the demon attack of-”

  
Camille scoffed. “He even took your name?”

  
Alec fought the urge to smile, even though he knew it would make her all the more angry. “Again, not the subject between us here, and I would ask, Ms. Belcourt, that you do keep things on topic between us or I will deny your appeal without further discussion.”

  
“Magnus Lightwood-Bane,” Camille managed to grit out. “Is guilty of just as many crimes against the Clave as I am, if not more. In what world is he allowed to walk free and I am trapped here?" 

  
"Well,” Alec said, leaning forward to smile at her. “Not including the fact that his record was wiped clean as a result of his sacrifice and saving of Alicante and all of Idris, there is the fact that majority of his crimes, by which I mean more than 90%, were done in the protection of other downworlders, or their rescue. In fact, candidates like Magnus are the reason we opened his appeals process in the first place. Now, in your case,” Alec added, looking down at the folder. "The percentages do not weigh so heavily in your favor.“ 

  
"You-”

  
Alec’s tone brooked no argument as he continued. “So I suggest, Ms. Belcourt, you tell me why I should consider setting you free when there is no evidence, nor indication in your behavior here, that you are willing to change." 

  
Camille stared at him, stony faced. "My clan-”

  
“Your clan,” Alec said, rifling through the stack of papers, pulling out one in particular, pushing it towards her. “Decided to submit you to my jurisdiction after I explained the program. Under which, by the way, we have released more than a dozen prisoners to various downworlder communities. They’ve been allowed to rejoin their lives and have the full apology and support of the Clave in doing so." 

  
"So that’s it, hm?” Camille asked, examining her nails after glancing at the paper he had presented. “Magnus decides to marry his little human pet that is going to abandon him in a few years. It’ll be a matter of time before he comes crawling back to me, you know that, right?" 

  
Alec frowned and snapped Camille’s file shut, crossing his arms over his chest as he studied her. "Did you ever care for him at all?" 

  
Camille laughed. "Care? Of course I cared for him. I taught him to embrace the side of himself that he would rather hide from. I taught him that the demon, not the man, held the power and he should live that, encompass it." 

  
Alec snorted and shook his head. "There are many things you did to him that I have spent years working to undo. Perhaps the worst is the twisted idea that you cared for him at all. But I wonder if you ever knew him." 

  
"What do you mean?” she narrowed her eyes.

  
“Nothing,” Alec said, shaking his head. “I know you saved him once. Where he was on the edge, and you pulled him back, gave him a reason to live. For that, I know his thoughts around you will always be conflicted. I have no concerns with that." 

  
She rolled her eyes. “But you do have concerns.” 

  
“Not like you might think,” Alec said, a faint smile curling his lips. “However, if you have nothing further say in regards to your appeal-” 

  
“What happens when you die, hm? How long do you have Inquisitor? Forty years, if you’re lucky? Maybe fifty?” 

  
Alec gave a faint smile. “I’ll have to come see you in fifty years and we can discuss it then, how about that?” He turned back to the guards and gestured. “She can return to her cell, her sentence remains precisely what it was.” 

  
“You’ll see,” Camille shouted. “A century, maybe two, and he’ll be back with me, where he belongs.” 

  
Alec didn’t bother listening to her, packing up his things. “I think that’s enough for today,” he called to the guards, stretching as he pushed himself out of his chair. “I want to go home.” 

  
~!~

  
Magnus knew something was wrong the second he got home and Alec was grateful to sag into the tight hug he was graced with. He took a deep breath and smiled. “I missed you.” 

  
“I missed you too,” Magnus said immediately, reaching up to cup Alec’s cheek, pulling him in for a kiss. “Is everything all right?” 

  
Alec hummed, and nodded. “Camille filed for an appeal of her case. Spent more of her time insulting us than she did appealing her case.” 

  
Magnus sighed and wrapped his arms around Alec in another tight hug. “I’m sorry.” 

  
Alec hugged Magnus close. “Don’t be. She’s a part of your past, and is one of the reasons you are here today. I can’t hate her for that.” He paused and chuckled, pressing a kiss to Magnus’ neck. “There are plenty of other reasons for me to hate her.” 

  
Magnus snorted and rolled his eyes, tugging Alec’s briefcase away from him, and then bringing his husband towards their couch. “I think you need a drink.” 

  
Alec grinned and sat down on the couch, watching as Magnus mixed them cocktails. “You know what was fun, though?” 

  
Magnus raised his eyebrows. “Hm?” 

  
“Seeing how shocked she was when I corrected her on my name,” Alec admitted, laughter escaping him. “She looked so horrified, Magnus, it took everything in me not to burst out laughing.” 

  
Magnus shook his head and couldn’t help chuckling. “I almost wish you had.” 

  
Alec grinned, glad when Magnus slid into his lap with both of their drinks, wrapping his arm around Magnus’ waist, holding him close as he took the drink, raising it to Magnus. “To us?” he offered. 

  
Magnus clinked their glasses together, smiling. “To us.” 


	2. Waiting for the World to Turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More than two centuries later, Camille has her opportunity. A new, green Inquisitor, who doesn't know her, doesn't know her situation. This is exactly what she has been waiting for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So....peeps wanted a sequel. 
> 
> You get a sequel! 
> 
> Written because I randomly got the plot bunny in my head, lol. Please enjoy!

Camille was nothing if not patient. 

  
She'd learned, over the years, that everything - love, fear, hate, crimes, all of it could be forgotten with enough time, if you were patient enough to wait. 

  
This was a wait much longer than anticipated. But Alec Lightwood-Bane had been thorough and he had made sure that his successors had known she was not to be freed, no matter how many imprisonment appeals she filed. A low snarl left her lips at the reminder of the latest. She hadn't even been granted a visit, and the letter had simply cited that unless she provided new or additional information regarding her case, there was no need to meet. 

  
But now? Now she'd found her chance. 

  
War was coming to the Nephilim, more than a century in the making, and if the rumors were true, it was the vestiges of Edom coming for them. Fitting, considering who had torn down the realm in the first place. Alec Lightwood-Bane would see his entire world destroyed for what he had helped do. 

  
Though that didn't matter. What mattered was getting this ridiculous sentence overturned and her release. In the wake of the imminent war, she'd promised to bring the European vampire factions to the table, and the new Inquisitor had been naive enough to believe her, and she was granted a meeting. She was young, and, if rumors were true, malleable. Perfect for her to take advantage of. 

  
Camille studied her nails again and settled into the chair across from the desk. The guards had delivered her first and were standing outside the door and she frowned. There was no need for that. The sound of heels in the hallway had her looking up, a pleased smile curling her lips. 

  
The last person she expected to walk through the door slipped in. 

  
"Hello Camille," Magnus said, slipping into the chair across from her, raising his eyebrows with a smile. "How have the last few centuries in prison been?" 

  
"Magnus," Camille grit out. "What are you doing here?" 

  
Magnus raised both of his eyebrows. "I was told that a vampire in the Gard had promised to be able to bring the European factions on board for the upcoming war. Imagine my surprise when I found it was you making that promise, despite the centuries since you had any leverage with those clans." 

  
"They are still-" 

  
Magnus held up his hand and shook his head. "The Inquisitor may not know you, but I do. Which is why I am sitting here, and not her." 

  
The opening was perfect. Camille smiled, saccharine and vicious. "And how is the woman measuring up to the standard of your late husband, hm?" 

  
Magnus raised his eyebrows at her. "Quite well. She has some years to settle into the role yet, but she has been doing well. A fitting successor to Alexander's legacy, as they have all been." 

  
"How many years has he been gone now?" Camille asked, her eyes drifting down to his hand. He was twisting the Lightwood ring on his finger and she scoffed. "You still wear his ring? You're more pathetic than I thought." 

  
"There's nothing pathetic about it, Camille," Magnus said, keeping his voice pointed. "And your request will be denied. I'll inform the Inquisitor that your offer was a lie and schedule a meeting with them myself." 

  
Camille laughed. "You think they'll meet with you?" 

  
Magnus stood up and looked down at her. "The world has changed while you have been locked away Camille. I think you'll find it no longer has room for the likes of you." 

  
"There is always a place for those willing to do what must be done," Camille growled. "I'll be able to wait them out, Magnus. You know how patient I can be. There will come a time when I am free, and we can be together-" 

  
Magnus laughed and looked at her, raising both of his eyebrows. "Do you think I would be foolish to fall for those lines again? It may have been centuries, Camille, but your tricks are old." 

  
"Speaking of old," Camille said, her eyes narrowing. "How old was dear Alexander when he passed? Did you enjoy watching him fade away?" 

  
Magnus stared at her, his face blank and calm. "Do you think talking about this will bring me to your side?" 

  
"I'll never leave you, Magnus. No matter how we draw apart. No matter what separates us, I will always be here," Camille promised, her eyes dark. "You'll come back to me. You always did." 

  
"I would think," Magnus drawled. "That after three centuries, you would know that I am no longer interested in returning to your side." 

  
Camille laughed, tossing her hair. "Maybe not yet. But all it will take is one day, where the loneliness is eating you alive. Will I have to save you from another bridge, you think?" 

  
"No," Another voice cut in. "Because that's my job now. Forever and always." 

  
Camille's eyes snapped to the other corner of the room when a glamour was abruptly dropped. Her eyes widened at the sight of Alec Lightwood-Bane standing there, relaxed and leaning against the wall in the corner, looking as though he'd been there for hours, unchanged though he should have been dead more than a century and a half now. 

  
Magnus burst out laughing at the look of shock on Camille's face and held out a hand for Alec, glad when his husband joined him. "You see, Camille. You've lost. You'll be trapped here, forever. As long as we both live, and we've even left instructions in the event of our death." 

  
Alec hummed and wrapped an arm around Magnus' waist, waiting for Camille's shocked eyes to shift to his. Her eyes were heavy as they scanned him, her nostrils flaring as she inhaled the scents in the room. 

  
"What are you?" Camille snarled. "What did you become?" 

  
Alec tilted his head and looked at her. "I'm a shadowhunter. The same as I ever was, and always will be. I just have a little bit extra, now, that wasn't there before." 

  
Camille shouted and made to leap forward when the automatic chains in the chair snagged her and yanked her backwards. "I'll make you pay for this!" 

  
Alec stepped around the table and stopped in front of the chair, watching as the chains bound Camille, leaving her glaring furiously at the both of them. "I'm never going to leave Magnus. _Never,_ " he whispered, his voice certain. "I've watched my entire family pass away and die. My parabatai, my sister, my brother, their children, even. All of them. And still I stay." 

  
Magnus swallowed, his heart pounding as Alec leaned in closer to Camille. He never liked hearing the reminder of what Alec had given up for him, but he knew that there was no regret in Alec. Sad moments, times of nostalgia and missing them, of course. But no true regret. 

  
"I stay, because of a concept you will never and have never understood, Camille," Alec continued, smiling. "I love him and I am loyal to him. We could, and have, spent years apart, but I do not love him any less, and never will." 

  
Camille growled against the gag that had wrapped itself around her mouth and glowered at him. 

  
"If I needed another reason?" Alec said, his smile shifting into a grin as he winked at her. "I stay to spite you. So. you know, no matter how long you try to wait, no matter how much you wait for the world to turn? You will die here, as a result of your own choices. Because of me. A mortal whose relationship with Magnus you expected to buckle under the first signs of pressure." 

  
"Alexander," Magnus called. 

  
Alec stood up, straightening, as he stepped away from Camille, reaching out for Magnus. "Shall we? We do have a date with some demons, after all." 

  
Magnus laughed. "You just want to see if you can catch up. I'm up seventy-four to your sixty-seven as I seem to recall!" 

  
"Because you were in the initial charge, of course you got more than I did!" Alec huffed, opening the door to the hearing room for Magnus, not bothering to look back at where Camille was bound and gagged in the chair still. 

  
"It's not my fault you chose to stay in the back and help the support lines!" Magnus said. He waved his hand, locking the door behind him, giving a nod to the guards. 

  
Camille seethed, snarling against the gag until the magical restraint faded and she was able to stand and destroy the chair she was sitting in, rapidly destroying every remaining piece of furniture in the room. She'd show them, she would! 

  
~!~

  
Alec hummed and swung Magnus' hand happily between both of theirs. "I think that went great, don't you?" 

  
Magnus snorted, rolling his eyes. "Sure, if you want to think of it that way." 

  
"I chose to be optimistic, Magnus!" Alec said, lifting his hand to press a kiss to it as they stepped outside the Gard. "Now, shall we see if they need help on the Eastern front? That's where my last communication is from." 

  
Magnus summoned a portal and gave a bow, gesturing for Alec to walk through. "After you, Mr. Lightwood-Bane." 

  
Alec gave a blinding smile. "Why thank you, Mr. Lightwood-Bane." 

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Criticisms welcome!
> 
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